1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a side dump body and more particularly to a side stiffening rail for a side dump body. Further, this invention relates to a side stiffening rail for a side dump body which utilizes less material than conventional side stiffening rails and which results in a stronger side dump body.
2. Description of the Related Art
Dump bodies which are employed on trailers or trucks normally are of the end dump type or the side dump type. Since the introduction of the side dump body disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,480,214, side dump bodies and trailers have experienced wide acceptance. The side dump body such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,480,214 normally comprises front and rear bulkheads joined together with sheets of metal to form a bottom wall and upwardly and outwardly extending side walls. In most cases, a pair of spaced-apart stiffening rails is utilized on each of the side walls for strengthening and stiffening purposes. The side stiffening rails employed on most prior art side dump bodies utilize considerable material.
A side stiffening rail is described for use with a side dump body which is mounted on a wheeled frame having a forward end, a rearward end, and first and second sides. A side dump body is movably mounted on the wheeled frame and has a rearward end, a forward end, and an open upper end. The side dump body includes a bottom wall having first and second side walls extending upwardly and outwardly from the outer ends thereof. The stiffening rail is secured to the exterior surface of each of the side rails at the upper end thereof for strengthening and stiffening the side dump body. Each of the stiffening rails comprises an elongated plate which has been bent to define an upper end portion, a first wall portion having upper and lower ends which extends downwardly from the upper end portion at an acute angle with respect to the plane of the respective side wall, a second wall portion having upper and lower ends which extends downwardly from the lower end of the first wall portion at an obtuse angle with respect thereto, and a third wall portion having first and second ends extending inwardly from the lower end of the second wall portion towards the respective side wall at an obtuse angle with respect to the second wall portion. The upper end portion is welded full length to the respective side wall. The second end of the third wall portion is welded full length to the respective side wall.
It is a principal object of the invention to provide a side stiffening rail for a side dump body.
A further object of the invention is to provide a side stiffening rail for a side dump body which requires less material than the prior art side stiffening rails, but which provides a stronger unit.
These and other objects will be apparent to those skilled in the art.